The Presidency has withdrawn a contentious bill it had
earlier sent to the National Assembly seeking to scrap the Rural
Electrification Agency (REA). Federal Government had made a bid to scrap the
rural electrification agency three years ago owing to alleged widespread
corruption. However, Minister of State for Power, Darius Ishaku, said that the
withdrawal of the bill would allow the ministry to reactivate the agency which
would serve as its vehicle for deepening access to electricity by people in the
rural area. Ishaku, who did not state when the bill was withdrawn, also said at
the closing session of the launch of the United Nation’s Sustainable Energy for
All (SE4All) in Abuja, that the Federal Government had set aside N3 billion to
offset the debts owed contractors on projects by REA.
Minister of Power, Prof. Barth Nnaji, believed the agency
could be reformed and used as a vehicle to extend access to electricity by
those in rural areas since the private sector might not be interested in
playing in the rural sector under the privatization of electricity owing to the
poor development of that sector of the market.
The ministry had recommended the scrapping of the agency in
the wake of the misappropriation of N5.2 billion intended for the agency that
led to the indictment of a former Chairman, House Committee on Power, Hon.
Ndudi Elumelu, some members of the committee and some REA management staff,
including its Managing Director, Mr. Sam Gekpe.
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